tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21645983898170808902024-03-13T16:26:45.773-07:00PSHYCOPYMEDIAAbout Health Insurance,mesothelioma,Health Autistic Child,Diagnosis of cancer,Free Game online Previews Software computer,Technology, etc .Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-15081687514153589442009-12-15T01:57:00.000-08:002009-12-15T02:31:21.149-08:00iTunes Online Gifts On Facebook<div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;" href="https://www.facebook.com/itunes">iTunes Online Gifts</a> On Facebook</span><br /></div><br />Today many people involved in Internet networking service, one of the largest facebook.com . Many people throughout the world have been touched by this service.<br /><br />In view of the members who opted in to facebook, many companies looked to expand its business into this network. Blackhawk Network's take the example of moving in gift cards that have been popular in U.S. and Canada.<br /><br />If you include people who like to share a gift to someone you love?<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;" href="https://www.facebook.com/itunes">iTunes Fan Page</a> offers the ability to buy and send gifts to friends online through Facebook.<br /><br />Facebook users here at pampered by this company if you want iTunes Gifts with ease and attractive design to the peer to peer, friend, girlfriend, or next of kin directly on their Facebook Wall.<br /><br />What's interesting is the recipient of the </span><a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;" href="https://www.facebook.com/itunes"><span class="fullpost">iTunes</span><span class="fullpost"> Online </span><span class="fullpost">gift</span></a><span class="fullpost"> on their wall and can be redeemed directly at the<a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255); font-style: italic;" href="https://www.facebook.com/itunes"> iTunes Store</a>. With so facebook users added in the treat again after this application.<br /><br />The service is initially only emerging in the United States exclusively on <a style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);" href="https://www.facebook.com/itunes">iTunes Fan Page</a> on Facebook and continues to expand into various countries.<br /><br />With this service Blackhawk Network more advanced one step ahead in comparison with the iTunes Store the same. That way you and those you love will be more in love with using this service. May god bless you ...<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-66393739901869510382009-05-12T08:11:00.000-07:002009-06-24T14:30:17.492-07:00Advanced Disk Cleaner 4.7<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/advanced-disk-cleaner-47.html"><big><span style="font-weight: bold;">Advanced Disk Cleaner </span></big></a><br /><br /> A lot of choice Software - <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/advanced-disk-cleaner-47.html">Software Cleaner</a> which is in offering in marketing.<br />From strarting Free of charge until very costly price.But it is true software - software which nope free of charge that cosier in the case of navigasi ....But all that return again up to you ???..<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />One of software which nope free of charge is <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/advanced-disk-cleaner-47.html">ADVANCED DISK CLEANER</a> .</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;"> This </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Software trial 30 day...</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1DXKu66_k89se8QklAcoP5yJWIwFBCjIg4QXNOGzRGXlqaIqspDzrkKqZLCYLWbMuMrbsBuZA84M4AH2CZHIvU-qr2EuvK3H5WEz2ZHGc_Xu7GdTMBefAlLLCZfdPeAOri1CmLgDtWRx/s1600-h/ADVANCED+DISK+CLEANER.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1DXKu66_k89se8QklAcoP5yJWIwFBCjIg4QXNOGzRGXlqaIqspDzrkKqZLCYLWbMuMrbsBuZA84M4AH2CZHIvU-qr2EuvK3H5WEz2ZHGc_Xu7GdTMBefAlLLCZfdPeAOri1CmLgDtWRx/s320/ADVANCED+DISK+CLEANER.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334956328151630402" border="0" /></a><br />Navigation<a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/advanced-disk-cleaner-47.html"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >software Advanced Disk Cleaner</span></a> is very easy.You click the <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">search all</span> await the few minutes will be seen by like above picture,..Whit that <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">select all</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Klik Clean</span>..Afterwards <a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/advanced-disk-cleaner-47.html"><span style="font-size:130%;">computer</span></a> you'd clear of footstep of file or file registry nope useful in our hardisk..<br />Afterwards feel its difference Please and safe to try ???<p></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-5058819288674983252009-05-12T07:33:00.000-07:002009-06-24T14:56:38.243-07:00ABEXO REGISTRY CLEANER free edition<div style="text-align: center;"><big><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abexo-registry-cleaner-free-edition.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Abexo</span> Free Registry Cleaner</a></span></big><br /></div><big><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></big><div style="text-align: justify;">Differential from <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abexo-registry-cleaner-free-edition.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Abexo</span> free Registry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Cliner</span></a> that is special for Registry Cleaner with cleaner of a kind.<br /> Yes..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">whay</span> have to cleaning of footstep registry file nope there is be no use in our PC ??..<br />That altogether up to you,..Along the nun of time, Our PC will be happened downhill of system work.<br />That in causing a lot of factor of besides degradation old age the hardware and heaping of file footstep which we leave without we realize too old... This matter have to by continue is we have to vanish..<br />In this case a little review from me is one of <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abexo-registry-cleaner-free-edition.html">software FREE specifically for registry Cleaner</a>.<span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abexo-registry-cleaner-free-edition.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0-g0Zees_g0b9sWpVadTTJ9MTXBYyoBezqtm0HL93sV8dO2oJ_BB6uv-j-JQCbbUyiwrMf0qGrnog9gctWqFLk4ds1caNZNWQhjXF4rhEVzUk8URA5CbISddZLp8rJovBbYV-BV7gG5s/s320/1.gif.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334946686922725026" border="0" /></a><br />Its name is <a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abexo-registry-cleaner-free-edition.html"> </a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abexo-registry-cleaner-free-edition.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ABEXO</span> REGISTRY CLEANER free edition</a> !!!</span><br /><br />This is Cleaner which often I wear special to clean the Registry heaping ..<br /><br /><br />In Comparing from Cleaner- other cleaner of <a href="http://www.abexo.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Abexo</span> Free Registry Cleaner </span></a> very <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">efective</span>...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Option</span> is :<br /># <span style="font-style: italic;">Clean Classes <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Seaction</span>.</span><br /># <span style="font-style: italic;">Clear file List. </span><br /># <a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abexo-registry-cleaner-free-edition.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Clear Software <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">seaction</span></span></a> :<br /></span></div><ul style="font-weight: bold; text-align: justify;"><li>Shared <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">DLLs</span></li><li>Invalid Files <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Assosiations</span></li><li>Window <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Startup</span> Run</li><li><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Aplication</span> Paths</li><li>Help</li><li>Fonts</li><li>Sounds<br /></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBS3-zC_fTYHbIKqjGCitvXdWWNuImYIJh7jOhC9djs7i-Dpm092txOyp6S3s2xwvmoQtQ7osqIfyqyoWCJWJzg7R4dfVOJRzRn1NY2UEi_mLa3-PWTQ-UeJEDV5RRgkv6fFfYwLnnSTS/s1600-h/ABEXO+REGISTRY+CLEANER.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBS3-zC_fTYHbIKqjGCitvXdWWNuImYIJh7jOhC9djs7i-Dpm092txOyp6S3s2xwvmoQtQ7osqIfyqyoWCJWJzg7R4dfVOJRzRn1NY2UEi_mLa3-PWTQ-UeJEDV5RRgkv6fFfYwLnnSTS/s320/ABEXO+REGISTRY+CLEANER.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334950075564857922" border="0" /></a><br />And seething with excitement is <a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abexo-registry-cleaner-free-edition.html"> </a><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2009/05/abexo-registry-cleaner-free-edition.html">FREE EDITION </a>!!!</span> Our computer can work optimal without require to release money..<br />Fluent work of money even also come ...(Cring..Cring..Cring...!!!.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">You wish to try it ????...<br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-57912624547133046522008-10-17T10:51:00.000-07:002009-06-30T02:42:38.891-07:00Impotence<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Impotence</span></span><br /></a></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> <a href="http://96ab7im5p-mg3x45uzms2kfrdh.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=RNGKSD7F">Impotence or Erectile Dysfunction</a>, in medicine, condition in which a man is unable to attain an erect penis that is rigid enough for sexual penetration or sexual satisfaction. <a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html">Impotence should not be confused with premature ejaculation, loss of libido, or absence of orgasm</a>; in all of these cases, satisfactory erection may be obtained.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html">Impotence</a> is a common problem; in the United States between 10 and 15 million men suffer from severe erectile dysfunction. The incidence of this problem increases with age. Less than 1 percent of the male population under 30 years of age is affected, 3 percent under 45 years, 7 percent between 45 and 55 years, 25 percent at age 65, and up to 75 percent in men 80 years old. Impotence appears to be on the rise, but this may be due to increasing life span.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> <a href="http://96ab7im5p-mg3x45uzms2kfrdh.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=RNGKSD7F">Impotence is classified as either primary or secondary</a>. <a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html">Primary impotence</a> is expressed early in adolescence as a fundamental inability to achieve erection; secondary impotence is more common and consists of an onset of erectile inability during adulthood, after a period of normal erectile ability.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> Normally, when a man becomes sexually aroused, his penis increases in size, becoming erect and rigid, enabling sexual penetration. An average penis is between 7 cm (about 3 in) and 10 cm (about 4 in) long; when it is erect it increases in length to between 13 cm (about 5 in) and 18 cm (about 7 in). An erection occurs when the penis fills with blood. An erect penis contains six or seven times the blood volume of a flaccid penis. During erection, the rate of blood flow into the penis is greater than the rate at which the blood drains out, which leads to an accumulation of blood within the corpus cavernosum (cavernous spaces) of the organ. The process of erection is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> </span><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >CAUSES OF IMPOTENCE</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> <a href="http://96ab7im5p-mg3x45uzms2kfrdh.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=RNGKSD7F">There are various causes of impotence</a>. In primary anatomic impotence the genitals themselves may be faulty. In secondary impotence, functional causes such as psychological problems and side effects of drugs taken for other disorders account for the greatest number of cases.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> The most common psychological factors contributing to impotence are stress in a man's life or difficulties in his sexual relationships. For example, if a man has suddenly lost his job, his feeling of failure may lead to temporary impotence. It is possible to tell if the cause of a man's <a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html">impotence</a> is solely psychological; if he still experiences normal erections during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, there is unlikely to be any physical reason for his <a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html">impotence</a> when conscious. However, in some cases a physical condition that is not severe enough to produce impotence on its own may make a man more likely to develop impotence if minor psychological factors are also present.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Many drugs can contribute to impotence. Diuretics, <a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html">tricyclic antidepressants</a>, H2 blockers, beta-blockers, and hormones are among the most common; once the drug treatment is halted, normal erections typically resume (unless psychological problems have developed in the meantime).</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Other causes of impotence have to do with physical conditions, disease, or trauma. Among these, diabetes mellitus accounts for 40 percent of the cases in the United States; vascular diseases, 30 percent; surgery on the pelvis or penis, 13 percent; spinal cord injury, 8 percent; endocrine (glandular) problems, 6 percent, and multiple sclerosis, 3 percent.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0); font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Treatments for impotence</span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> </span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> were described in the literature of the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Modern treatment of impotence takes into account both the physical and psychological causes of the condition. Many impotent men have been affected originally by a purely physical problem, but by the time they seek treatment, their condition is complicated by psychological factors.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> There are several types of physical treatment for impotence. Since the early 1980s, it has been possible for affected men to inject a drug in the <a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html">corpus cavernosum</a> of their penis (<a style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/impotence.html">intracorporeal pharmotherapy</a>). This affects the smooth muscle tone in the blood vessels, producing an erection that lasts for about an hour. If this treatment is used over a long period of time, however, problems with scarring may occur. The most common drug used in this manner is Prostaglandin E1. Less commonly used drugs are papaverine and phentolamine or combinations of these three drugs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> A prosthesis may be inserted into the penis under anesthetic. This may be a semirigid rod that makes the penis permanently erect. Some newer devices enable the patient to control an inflatable rod. Technology in this area is still developing and a wide range of plastic or silicone prostheses are available. The implant may function for several years. The most common complication is infection due to the implant surgery.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> There are several gadgets on the market, known as vacuum constriction devices, that draw blood into the corpus cavernosum, causing the penis to become erect. An elastic ring is placed around the penis in order to maintain the erection.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> A number of drugs taken orally or applied topically are known to affect erectile ability, including those affecting nerve transmission, muscle relaxation, and hormones. Some traditional drugs known to have aphrodisiac properties are among these. They are seldom prescribed by physicians because their functions, side effects, and interactions with other drugs are not well known. In 1998 the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of sildenafil, a drug marketed under the brand name Viagra, for use in treating impotence. Viagra, which works by slowing the rate of blood flow out of the penis, is taken orally in tablet form. A number of other drugs to treat impotence, such as Cialis, the brand name for tadalafil, and Levitra, the brand name for vardenafil, have since been approved. Cialis is effective for longer periods, up to 36 hours, compared with Viagra and Levitra, which are effective for up to 4 hours. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> Treatments based on various forms of psychotherapy are also widely used. In 1970 the team of William Masters and Virginia Johnson proposed a program of behavioral therapy for an affected man and his partner. This method has been widely accepted and involves abstinence from intercourse for several weeks while the couple develops other aspects of their physical relationship. Only when the man is able to have an erection and sustain it on several occasions should the couple attempt intercourse.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-19590568815260895802008-10-17T10:48:00.000-07:002009-06-25T06:42:17.469-07:00Avian Flu<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Avian Flu</span></span></a><br /></div><br /> Avian Flu, also known as bird flu, an infectious disease of wild and domestic birds, caused by a range of viruses known as Type A<a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">influenza viruses</span></span></a>. Variants of avian influenza viruses have also infected humans and a number of other mammals.<br /><br /> <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html">Avian influenza viruses</a> exist in wild populations of seabirds, shorebirds, and other wildfowl, but do not usually cause illness in wild bird species. When wild birds contaminate ponds and fields with fecal droppings containing the virus, however, domesticated birds such as chickens, turkeys, and ducks can be infected. For these species, avian influenza is often fatal, afflicting the respiratory system and nervous system, and opening the way for dangerous bacterial infections. With their nasal and fecal secretions, sick individuals can rapidly spread illness to other poultry in the close confines of a farm enclosure or live animal market.<br /><br /> <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html">Avian influenza</a> was not known to directly infect humans until 1997, when an outbreak in Hong Kong, China, caused by infected poultry, sickened 18 people, killing 6 of them. Death was caused by pneumonia or other respiratory ailments, kidney failure, or related complications. Symptoms of avian flu resemble those of other <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html">influenzas</a>: fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches. Although humans have a degree of immunity to the influenza subtypes that circulate during the winter flu season, the human immune system is unaccustomed to recognizing and fighting off avian influenza. This makes the avian viral strains all the more dangerous. After the 1997 Hong Kong episode, other outbreaks of avian influenza followed.<br /><br /> Further confirmation that avian influenza can directly infect humans came in 2005 when scientists succeeded in reconstructing the infamous 1918 influenza virus, known as the Spanish flu, that killed from 20 million to 50 million people worldwide in the worst-known influenza pandemic. Two teams of United States government and university scientists succeeded in assembling the entire genetic code of the 1918 virus after discovering viral samples in the tissues of three victims of the disease, including a woman buried in Alaska’s permafrost whose body remained frozen. The scientists injected the reconstructed virus into fertilized bird eggs. The eggs died, confirming that the virus had an avian rather than human origin because a<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html"> human influenza virus will not kill bird eggs</a>.<br /><br /> Scientists identify the various strains of avian flu and other varieties of Type A influenza by categorizing them according to the differences in two key proteins found on the surface of the virus. The two proteins are <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html">Hemagglutinin</a> (H) and <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html">Neuraminidase</a> (N). There are 15 major subtypes of H and 9 major subtypes of N. The virus that caused the 1997 Hong Kong outbreak was designated<a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html"> H5N1</a> because the key proteins on the surface of the virus were <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html">subtype H5 and subtype N1</a>. Tests determined that strains related to H5N1 were behind the deadly Asian outbreak that began in 2003. Some poultry farms in Europe and the eastern United States, meanwhile, suffered outbreaks in 2003 and 2004 of subtypes of H7, an avian strain that is currently believed to be less dangerous to humans.<br /><br /> <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html">Avian influenza</a> appears to spread from birds to humans through direct, close contact with sick birds or with fecal-contaminated surfaces. As yet there is no confirmed evidence that current avian influenza viruses spread from person to person. Influenza viruses, however, mutate (change) easily. Scientists and public health experts fear that an avian flu strain might strike a person who is already infected with a human variant of influenza. The two variants could swap, or combine, their viral components in the infected person before spreading to other people. This combination of virus components could even take place in a susceptible mammal, such as a pig.<br /><br /> The result could be a novel virus strain completely unknown to the human immune system. It could be especially virulent and cause death in a high percentage of infected individuals, passing easily from person to person. Such a virus could touch off a global epidemic, or pandemic, of influenza that could kill millions of people. The grim benchmark for such a catastrophe is the “Spanish flu” outbreak of 1918.<br /><br /> Currently, the most effective means of fighting avian influenza is the destruction of infected birds or those at risk of infection, often millions at a time when outbreaks occur. In August 2005 the U.S. National Institutes of Health reported that the first trials of an avian flu vaccine were effective in humans. However, public health officials expressed concern that the vaccine did not exist in sufficient amounts to respond to a pandemic. Drugs, such as Tamiflu, can be used to treat avian flu, but some studies suggest that Tamiflu may not be fully effective against the <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/avian-flu.html">H5N1 virus</a>. Public health officials say there is no danger to the public from eating poultry or eggs as long as they are well cooked.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-63469715355649745142008-09-09T11:48:00.001-07:002009-06-25T06:54:53.268-07:00HEALTH INSURANCE IN OTHER COUNTRIES<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:18;" ></span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:9;color:black;" ></span></st1:place></st1:country-region></p><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/health-insurance-in-other-countries.html"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif";">HEALTH INSURANCE IN OTHER COUNTRIES</span></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:country-region style="font-weight: bold;" st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Germany</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black; font-weight: bold;"> introduced the first national health insurance program in 1883. Other industrialized countries adopted government-funded <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/health-insurance.html">health insurance</a> systems in the early 20th century. Most of these programs grew extensively after World War II (1939-1945), but some have always offered more extensive coverage than others. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Many countries—such as <st1:country-region st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">Russia</st1:country-region>, and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sweden</st1:place></st1:country-region>—directly employ physicians who treat patients in <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/health-insurance-in-other-countries.html">government-operated facilities</a>. In other countries—such as <st1:country-region st="on">Britain</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region st="on">Norway</st1:country-region>, and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Spain</st1:place></st1:country-region>—governments pay private physicians who may also practice outside government-funded programs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Government-funded <a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/health-insurance.html">health insurance</a> systems increasingly offer incentives for people to seek supplementary coverage through private insurance companies. For example, in 1998 <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> introduced a program designed to guarantee government-sponsored health insurance for all workers, but this program also imposes ceilings on annual reimbursements to insured individuals. To make up for the shortfall in government subsidies, employers that can afford to do so are encouraged by the government to subscribe to supplementary <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/health-insurance.html">health insurance plans</a> through private companies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Australia</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"> also encourages citizens to join private health plans. The Australian government has long guaranteed basic health insurance for its citizens through its Medicare plan, but many Australians have traditionally chosen to subscribe to more comprehensive private plans. As health care costs rose in the 1980s and 1990s, however, many Australians abandoned private health insurance for Medicare. For example, in 1984 about 50 percent of Australians used the Medicare system, but by 1996 that figure had risen to 67 percent. This increased burden on public funds led to proposals in 1997 for government subsidies for low-income Australians who subscribe to private insurance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><br />Contributed By<span class="GramE">:</span><br />Norma L. Nielson</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-42591218974003664242008-09-09T11:48:00.000-07:002009-06-25T07:05:28.390-07:00Canada Health Act<div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/canada-health-act.html"><span style="font-size:180%;"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif";">Canada</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif";"> Health Act</span></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">In 1979 a federal government study found that doctors in some provinces were charging patients an extra fee to supplement the amount they were paid by the government plan. The study determined that these supplemental user fees had created an unequal system that threatened to limit access to health care for low-income citizens. The Canadian Parliament responded to these concerns by passing the Canada Health Act in 1984. This legislation reaffirmed the government’s commitment to a universal, comprehensive, and publicly administered health insurance system. Today, the Canada Health Act continues to define the central principles of the <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/canada-health-act.html">Canadian health care system</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Despite general public satisfaction with <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://pshycopymedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/canada-health-act.html"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s health insurance programs</a>, increased health care costs, coupled with declining federal government support have threatened the ability of these programs to meet the country’s medical needs. For example, limited public resources for health care often force Canadians to wait a substantial period of time for <span class="SpellE">nonemergency</span> medical treatments. The waiting time to see a medical specialist can be especially long. Some critics of the public health care system believe that better access to private insurance could alleviate many of these problems. These critics have called on the government to encourage further development of private health care options that could supplement the public programs.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-51669640550706244132008-09-09T11:46:00.001-07:002008-09-09T11:46:35.466-07:00HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">X </span><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES<o:p></o:p></span></p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Health insurance in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a relatively new phenomenon, dating to the time of the Civil War (1861-1865). Early forms of health insurance mainly offered coverage against accidents arising from travel, especially by rail and steamboat. The success of accident insurance paved the way for the first insurance plans covering illness and injury. The first insurance against sickness was offered by Massachusetts Health Insurance of Boston in 1847. Insurance companies issued the first individual policies offering disability insurance in 1890. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">The first modern group health insurance policy was issued in 1929, when a group of teachers in Dallas, Texas, contracted with Baylor Hospital for room, board, and medical services as needed in exchange for a monthly fee. Many life insurance companies entered the health insurance field in the 1930s and 1940s, and the popularity of health insurance grew quickly. In 1932 nonprofit organizations called Blue Cross or Blue Shield first began to offer policies of group health insurance. Blue Cross and Blue Shield were the first programs that established contracts directly with health care providers, who would then offer services to subscribers at reduced rates. Originally, Blue Cross plans covered the cost of hospital care, whereas Blue Shield plans covered doctors’ bills. Eventually, however, both Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans began covering all health care services.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Employee benefit plans became a widespread source of health insurance in the 1940s and 1950s. Increased union membership at <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> factories enabled union leaders to bargain for better benefit packages, including tax-free, employer-sponsored health insurance. Wage freezes imposed during World War II (1939-1945) also drove the growth of employee benefit plans. Unable by law to attract scarce workers by increasing wages, employers instead enhanced their benefit packages to include health care coverage. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Government programs to cover health care costs began to expand during the 1950s and 1960s. Disability benefits were included in social security coverage for the first time in 1954. <span class="GramE">When the government first implemented Medicare and Medicaid programs in 1965, private sources paid 75 percent of health care costs in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</span> By 1995 that number had <span class="GramE">dropped</span> to only 53.8 percent.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Throughout most of the 1980s and 1990s the majority of employer-sponsored group insurance plans switched from fee-for-service plans to managed care plans. As a result, most Americans with health insurance were enrolled in managed care plans by the mid-1990s. For example, in 1980 only 9.1 million Americans were enrolled in health maintenance organizations. By 1995 that figure had risen to 46.2 million. Employers made the change to managed care as part of an effort to improve the quality of health care for their employees while also monitoring the cost of providing insurance. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">In 1993 President Bill Clinton presented to the U.S. Congress a health care reform plan that would guarantee health insurance for all Americans. Under the leadership of the president’s wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic Clinton administration’s special commission on health care reform claimed that in addition to providing universal health insurance, the proposal would stem the rapidly rising cost of health care. Republican leaders in Congress fiercely opposed the plan for being too expensive and for imposing excessive governmental regulations on health care. Opponents of the plan also attacked it for restricting patient choice of health care providers and for placing an undue burden on small businesses by forcing them to provide health insurance for their employees. In 1994 members of Congress introduced a variety of alternative proposals, but the administration never reached a compromise with Republicans, and <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Clinton</st1:place></st1:city>’s health care reform package never became law. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">In 1996 Congress passed the Mental Health Parity Act, a law that requires employers with more than 50 workers to offer health plans that set yearly and lifetime limits for mental health care at the same level as limits for physical health care. Despite these important safeguards for workers, the law allows employers in some states to eliminate coverage of services to treat mental illness altogether. Also, the law allows employer-sponsored plans to charge higher deductibles and <span class="SpellE">copayments</span> to workers seeking mental health care.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Congress also passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in 1996. This legislation extends the basic provisions of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) by further protecting individuals from losing their health insurance when they move from one job to another, become self-employed, or have preexisting medical conditions. However, the Health Insurance Portability Act does little to ensure the overall quality or <span class="GramE">comprehensiveness</span> of insurance offered by employers.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-77178611312093381412008-09-09T11:45:00.003-07:002008-09-09T11:48:05.284-07:00Origins of National Health Insurance<span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Origins of National Health Insurance</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Before the late 1940s private sources paid for the vast majority of health care in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>. In 1947 the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">province</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Saskatchewan</st1:placename></st1:place> introduced a public insurance plan to cover the cost of hospital services for its citizens. The federal government introduced a program in 1956 to develop hospital insurance plans in all provinces. In this program, the federal government offered to share with the provinces the costs of hospital and diagnostic services. By 1961 all ten provinces and the two territories in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> had established public insurance plans that provided universal coverage for at least inpatient hospital care.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">In 1962 <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Saskatchewan</st1:place></st1:state> introduced public medical insurance to cover services by physicians outside hospitals. The federal government established the comprehensive medical care program, called Medicare, in 1968. By 1972 all of the provincial and territorial health care plans had expanded to cover physicians’ services.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-72759310194416721372008-09-09T11:45:00.002-07:002008-09-09T11:47:24.297-07:00HEALTH INSURANCE IN CANADA<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">XI </span><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">HEALTH INSURANCE IN <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">CANADA</st1:place></st1:country-region></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"></st1:place></st1:country-region></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"></st1:place></st1:country-region></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">In <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>, a publicly financed health care system called Medicare provides comprehensive coverage for every Canadian citizen. Sometimes referred to as a <i>single-payer </i>system, the Canadian health care plan pays everyone’s medical bills using tax money from provincial and federal sources. Each individual province manages the delivery of health services to its citizens, but all of the various provincial and territorial health insurance systems are linked through adherence to the Canada Health Act, a set of health care standards set at the federal level. The federal government also directs a variety of initiatives to prevent disease and to promote health.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Canadians may also purchase private health insurance to supplement the government plans. However, private health insurance in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> is restricted from offering coverage for services already provided by provincial health plans. Despite these limitations in coverage, increased restrictions of Medicare have led many Canadians to obtain private health insurance.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-41768131475299638572008-09-09T11:45:00.001-07:002008-09-09T11:45:52.266-07:00Alternative Medicine<span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Alternative Medicine</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">An increasing number of health insurance policies provide benefits for so-called alternative medicine—that is, for therapeutic practices and treatments that lie outside the mainstream of Western medical care. Policies that cover alternative medicine may provide benefits for such treatments as acupuncture, chiropractic care, therapeutic massage, and naturopathy (treatments that avoid drugs and surgery in favor of natural remedies). Advocates of alternative medical practices believe that they can provide safe, natural approaches to treating illnesses or injuries that conventional medicine has had limited success in curing, such as chronic pain and drug addiction.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-1176912518073304572008-09-09T11:42:00.002-07:002009-05-22T09:52:52.964-07:00Substance Abuse and Alcoholism Treatment<span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >Substance Abuse and Alcoholism Treatment</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ></span></p><span style=";font-family:";font-size:100%;color:black;" > Most comprehensive policies offer limited coverage for treatment of alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse. These policies generally pay a percentage of the cost for treatment performed by an approved facility or counselor, but benefits are usually limited to a maximum amount paid over a specified period.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-74882213797339884212008-09-09T11:42:00.001-07:002008-09-09T11:43:46.771-07:00Emergency Care<span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Emergency Care</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Most insurance policies cover emergency care provided in hospital emergency departments, but they generally discourage overuse of emergency room visits by requiring the patient to make a <span class="SpellE">copayment</span>. Health insurance policies also usually offer limited coverage for ambulance transportation to emergency rooms.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-67277040285084336632008-09-09T11:42:00.000-07:002008-09-09T11:43:13.596-07:00Outpatient Care<span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"></span><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Outpatient Care</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Patients who do not require an overnight hospital stay receive <i>outpatient care,</i> which is generally covered by comprehensive policies. Outpatient care could be provided in a doctor’s office, a neighborhood clinic, or in a hospital if the patient is sent home the same day. For example, patients often will come to the hospital the day before surgery so that doctors can perform blood tests. Simple surgeries like a tonsillectomy (a procedure to remove the tonsils) usually can be performed on an outpatient basis. Even very sophisticated surgeries like a cochlear implant (a device used to stimulate the auditory nerve in deaf people) often do not require a hospital stay. To encourage patients to make cost-effective use of the health care system, health insurance plans—particularly managed care plans—often include financial incentives to use outpatient services whenever possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Treatment of mental illness is commonly performed on an outpatient basis, but insurance coverage is often limited for such services as psychotherapy. For example, private insurers generally pay 80 percent of the cost of most outpatient medical services, but they traditionally limit reimbursement for psychotherapy to 50 percent or less of its cost. Also, many insurers limit their coverage of psychotherapy to a specified maximum dollar amount or to a maximum number of visits. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Many insurance policies will offer coverage of health care performed in the patient’s home by an approved medical provider. Home health care benefits are generally limited to medically necessary services that are part of a treatment plan prescribed by the patient’s doctor. Some policies also cover hospice care that allows a terminally ill patient to receive health care services at home or in an approved hospice center instead of in a hospital.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-55598268395409438762008-09-09T11:39:00.002-07:002008-09-09T11:42:13.022-07:00SPECIFIC BENEFITS<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">IX </span><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">SPECIFIC BENEFITS</span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Each health plan or insurance policy must define what kinds of medical services are covered by insurance. These policies must also explain limitations or exclusions of coverage for specific services. In addition, insurance policies define the kinds of medical care providers that are covered by insurance. For example, covered providers usually include physicians and hospitals, but the policy’s terms may also include coverage for nurse practitioners, midwives, chiropractors, and naturopaths. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Almost all health insurance plans cover the cost of diagnostic tests, prescription drugs, and other items necessary to provide care in hospitals. Some policies also provide coverage for such things as prescription drugs to be taken outside of hospital settings. <o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">A </span><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Inpatient</span></st1:placename><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"> <st1:placetype st="on">Hospital</st1:placetype></span></st1:place><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"> Care</span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Hospitals provide <i>inpatient care </i>when they admit a patient for an overnight stay. Most comprehensive health insurance policies cover the costs of inpatient care as long as that level of care is considered necessary to treat the patient’s condition. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Hospital indemnity </span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">policies pay a specified dollar amount per day of inpatient care, regardless of the cause of the hospitalization. The amount paid by the insurer varies neither with the services provided nor with the expense of those services. The benefit amounts paid by hospital indemnity policies are generally quite low when compared with the typical cost of a hospital stay.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-32163148535931833532008-09-09T11:39:00.001-07:002008-09-09T11:40:52.756-07:00Long-Term Care Policies<span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Long-Term Care Policies</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Americans increasingly buy <i>long-term care </i>policies to cover nursing home costs. Medicare and most private medical insurance policies cover <i>medically necessary </i>services such as care while recuperating from surgery, but they do not pay for the so-called custodial care offered by nursing homes. In about 80 percent of American families, at least one family member will eventually need long-term care. The average annual cost of a nursing home stay in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> is around $40,000. Long-term care policies can help families meet these high medical expenses incurred by the elderly.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-64804406415273284192008-09-09T11:39:00.000-07:002009-05-22T09:53:53.593-07:00Specified Disease Policies<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:";color:black;" >Specified Disease Policies</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:130%;color:black;" > Some insurance companies offer <i><span style="font-weight: bold;">specified disease</span> </i>policies that cover only one illness, such as cancer. These plans offer no benefits at all for medical costs associated with any disease other than that specified in the policy. Therefore, most people who purchase these policies also need to be covered by a more comprehensive policy. Some of these policies provide only for the treatment of the specified illness and exclude from their benefits package the costs of diagnosing the disease.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-47957784486326845712008-09-09T11:36:00.002-07:002008-09-09T11:39:23.055-07:00Catastrophic Coverage<span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"></span><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Catastrophic Coverage</span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></i><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Catastrophic </span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">health insurance—also known as <i>major </i>medical insurance—is a policy of health insurance with a relatively high deductible, often as high as $500 or $1000. Although catastrophic health insurance policies offer coverage only beyond this high deductible amount, they can help people avoid bankruptcy in the event of a catastrophic illness or injury that requires expensive medical treatments. Because catastrophic health insurance policies have a high deductible, they typically charge policyholders relatively low monthly premiums.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-13202110153219311732008-09-09T11:36:00.001-07:002008-09-09T11:38:33.140-07:00Hospital-Surgical Coverage<span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Hospital-Surgical Coverage</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Hospital-Surgical </span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">policies provide separate limits for hospital charges and for physician charges associated with a hospital stay. A hospital-surgical plan usually limits its benefits to cover a relatively low amount of medical costs, so most people consider it only in conjunction with a more comprehensive policy.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-36721716982419297492008-09-09T11:36:00.000-07:002008-09-09T11:37:59.164-07:00LEVEL OF COVERAGE<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">VIII </span><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">LEVEL OF COVERAGE</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">The extent to which an insurance policy will cover specific health care services varies considerably based on the level of benefits outlined in the policy. Because each person has different medical needs and risks, no one level of health insurance coverage is right for everyone. Some of the most common levels of coverage available in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> include comprehensive medical insurance, hospital-surgical insurance, catastrophic health insurance, specified disease insurance, and long-term care insurance. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">A</span><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"> Comprehensive Coverage</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Comprehensive </span></i><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">medical insurance is a single plan that combines coverage for both doctor and hospital charges. Most medical services are covered by comprehensive policies, although even comprehensive plans limit benefits for certain specific conditions. They also may not cover services associated with preexisting conditions.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-34904398419293743812008-09-09T11:34:00.002-07:002008-09-09T11:36:44.571-07:00Preexisting Conditions<span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"></span><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Preexisting Conditions</span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">When a policyholder has medical conditions before being issued a health insurance policy, these are referred to in the new policy as <i>preexisting conditions.</i> Many newly issued policies contain a clause that limits the amount the insurance company will pay for services related to preexisting conditions. The precise limit can be expressed in this clause as a dollar amount, as a period of time for which benefits are limited, or as a permanent exclusion of coverage for particular services related to the conditions. By including such clauses, private insurance companies can make limited insurance available even to people with known health problems. At the same time, these clauses protect the company and the other members of the policy group from the likelihood of paying large bills associated with new policyholders’ preexisting conditions.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-50830666744728238122008-09-09T11:34:00.001-07:002008-09-09T11:36:03.740-07:00Lifetime Policy Limit<span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"> Lifetime Policy Limit</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Some health insurance companies establish <i>lifetime policy limits </i>that define the maximum amount the insurer agrees to pay for a policyholder’s medical expenses. For example, a policy with a $500,000 limit pays up to $500,000 toward covered medical expenses over the life of the policy. A policy covering as much as $1 million or more of medical expenses usually does not cost the policyholder much more in premiums than one with $250,000 or $500,000 limits. The difference in cost is so slight because the probability of needing the highest amounts of coverage is very small. If the cost of medical services exceeds the lifetime policy limit, the insured person is liable for the difference, regardless of the limits set by the out-of-pocket maximum.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-58683506636041196412008-09-09T11:34:00.000-07:002008-09-09T11:35:01.921-07:00Out-of-Pocket Maximum<span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Out-of-Pocket Maximum</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Health insurance policies define the maximum amount that an individual or family must pay each year for deductibles and coinsurance combined. This amount is called the <i>out-of-pocket maximum</i>. For example, a policy with a $250-per-person deductible might have a $1,000 limit on the total amount that a person would have to pay in both deductibles and coinsurance.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-65571073268858520282008-09-09T11:32:00.003-07:002008-09-09T11:34:09.865-07:00Terms and Limits<span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Terms and Limits</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Most health insurance policies limit coverage to services that the insurance company defines as both “reasonable and necessary.” These terms are <span class="GramE">key</span> to understanding the policy’s benefits because they define whether particular services are within the scope of coverage.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Insurance companies carefully determine what they consider to be “reasonable” costs of medical services. To do this, an insurance company gathers statistics on what health care providers in a particular area typically charge for identical or similar services. That information helps the company determine the amounts it considers to be reasonable. For example, many insurance policies cover payment for an office visit to a doctor. If 90 percent of the doctors in a particular geographical area charge $60 or less for an office visit, an insurance company might logically decide to limit its policy’s coverage of office visits to the first $60 in charges. When a particular patient’s doctor charges $75 for an office visit, the insurance company may send the patient a bill—known as a <i>balance billing </i>charge—for the additional $15. Some benefit programs, such as Medicare, may not hold patients responsible for balance billing charges.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Insurance companies also determine what they consider to be “necessary” medical treatments. Health insurance contracts limit coverage to services that are considered important to maintaining sound health. For example, services such as cosmetic surgery usually are not considered necessary except in specific circumstances, such as after a disfiguring accident.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2164598389817080890.post-35718855516650346682008-09-09T11:32:00.002-07:002008-09-09T11:33:25.002-07:00Premium<span style="font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Premium</span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;"></span></p><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: "MS Reference Sans Serif"; color: black;">Insurance policies charge a certain monthly amount—called a <i>premium</i>—to maintain an insurance contract. The premium is the payment an individual policyholder makes in exchange for the promise of financial assistance for medical costs. The premium charged for the insurance reflects the value of the benefits received. For example, insurance with a $500 deductible generally has a lower premium than insurance with a $250 deductible.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com